Drop-side cribs have been used for many years to facilitate lifting a child in and out of a crib. Some previous attempts at addressing the need for a crib that has a side that may be lowered include U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,951, which describes a drop-side crib whereby the lowering side is released by double-action latch mechanisms that lie across the top of the side. The drop-side upper railing has an upper bar fixedly secured upon a lower bar; the lower surface of the upper bar opens to a longitudinally-extending groove slidably receiving rods of the two latches. Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,539 describes a different drop-side crib mechanism.
Some have used mesh as an alternative to the bars of a traditional crib, which prevents the child from passing his or her limbs through. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,792, which discloses a crib with mesh walls that replace the multiplicity of rigid vertical bars, as well as a canopy. This patent describes a different drop-side mechanism whereby the entire side may be lowered. U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,806 describes a bedding structure with a flexible door made from mesh that may be slid around the structure on tracks to close and limit ingress or egress.
Other examples in the art include Canadian Patent No. 2302066, which describes concealed hardware for raising and lowering of the crib side, permitting construction with no projecting or exposed parts. Canadian Patent No. 2034366 describes a crib with drop-side that also features a horizontal position. In Canadian Patent No. 1245008 a double-action drop-side lock is disclosed, comprising a guide member connected to the crib or to the drop-side in a vertically oriented position. A slide member (for raising and lowering the drop-side) is slidably mounted to the guide member between two positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,360 describes a crib with a drop-side and the guiding and locking mechanism therefor with use of both upper and lower guides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,493 describes a crib drop-side latch, wherein the side must be lifted slightly for the latch to be actuated, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,243 describes a latch for a drop-side crib with a different actuator and two retractable pins holding the drop-side in place.
In conventional drop-side cribs, the entire side panel is first moved up, then out, then down on opening (to down position), then this action sequence is reversed (up, in, down) on closing (to up position). However, this type of drop-side crib has recently come under scrutiny as a result of injuries to—and deaths of—children, mostly owing to the drop-side panel coming loose (through either improper installation or defects causing detachment of the drop-side), causing the child to either slide into and get stuck between the mattress and the loose panel side, or to become wedged between the top of the drop-side and the crib post. The above prior art does not address a safe means of drop-side, such that injuries to children may be avoided.
There is a need in the art for a safe drop-side mechanism on a crib such that there is no possibility of harm to the child within the crib. While this safe mechanism may be built into a crib it is also useful as a panel assembly that can be used to convert an existing crib to a safe drop-side mechanism.